US Received Record Number Of Visitors In 2012 Thanks To These 15 Countries

Fewer Europeans travel to the U.S. each year, and the nation hasn’t come up with a way to reverse the trend. But according to statistics released Monday by the U.S. Commerce Department, it may not need to. Indeed, fueled by major gains in visitors from Asia and Latin America, the U.S. received a record number of overseas arrivals in 2012.

The overall number of arrivals to the U.S. has followed an upward trend since 2010 after taking a post-recession tumble in 2009. The U.S. Commerce Department predicted that the growth would continue as numbers climb from a record 67 million foreign visitors last year to a new high of 69.6 million in 2013. A similar growth pattern of about 4 percent is expected each year through 2018, when the agency predicts that 84.6 million travelers, or 17.6 million more visitors than in 2012, will fly, drive or sail into the USA.

The nation’s top 15 ports of entry welcomed 81 percent of all overseas visitors in 2012, while the top three ports alone -- New York, Miami and Los Angeles -- accounted for 39 percent of total foreign arrivals.

Eleven of the top 15 inbound tourism markets posted increases in visitation, fueled by large gains in Latin America and Asia. China alone is expected to grow by 229 percent through 2018, the federal agency said. This is particularly good news as Chinese visitors spend an average of roughly $7,100 per visit to the U.S., more than double the average overseas visitor, who spends about $3,240, according to Commerce Department statistics. International visitors as a whole spent a record-breaking $168.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2012, an increase of more than 10 percent (or roughly $1.3 billion more per month) when compared to 2011.

Scroll down for a complete look at the 15 nations with the most visitors to the U.S. in 2012 and their growth or decline over the previous year.

No. 1 Canada

Despite a number of high-profile shootings in recent years — including Wednesday's Ottawa shootings — Canada's gun violence stats are low. Reuters

No. 2 Mexico

Roughly 14.5 million Mexicans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 7.5 percent.
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No. 3 United Kingdom

Roughly 3.8 million residents of the United Kingdom visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 1.9 percent.
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No. 4 Japan

Roughly 3.7 million Japanese visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 13.8 percent.
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No. 5 Germany

Roughly 1.9 million Germans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 2.9 percent.
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No. 6 Brazil

Roughly 1.8 million Brazilians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 18.8 percent.
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No. 7 China

Roughly 1.5 million Chinese (excluding Hong Kongese) visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 35.3 percent.
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No. 8 France

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No. 9 South Korea

Roughly 1.3 million South Koreans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 9.3 percent.
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No. 10 Australia

Roughly 1.1 million Australians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 8.1 percent.
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No. 11 Italy

Roughly 830,000 Italians visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 6.8 percent.
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No. 12 India

Roughly 720,000 Indians visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 9.2 percent.
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No. 13 Venezuela

Roughly 675,000 Venezuelans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 20.3 percent.
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No. 14 Argentina

Roughly 615,000 Argentineans visited the U.S. in 2012, a gain of about 20 percent.
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No. 15 Spain

Roughly 610,000 Spaniards visited the U.S. in 2012, a decline of about 13.3 percent.
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